Research
The School of Environmental and Life Sciences (SELS) contains over 60 academic staff who are nearly all involved in research training and professional research programs. The Biology, Biotechnology and Chemistry research programs have access to a vast array of state-of the art technology including mass spectrometers, electron and confocal microscopes and NMR. The laboratories are well resourced and there is a vibrant research culture supporting national and international visitors and seminar presentations.
Researchers and their groups have gained well respected reputations reflected by publications in many high impact international journals and presentations at international conferences. The researchers in SELS have successfully formed nationally acclaimed Research Centres via extensive networking and collaborative initiatives, including:
- ARC Centre for Excellence in Biotechnology and Development
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Integrative Legume Research
- Centre for Urban and Regional Studies (CURS)
Research staff in SELS have also worked collectively within the school and across faculties to form Priority Research Centres and include:
- Centre for Reproductive Science
- Centre for Organic Electronics (cross Discipline)
- Centre for Advanced Particle Processing (cross Faculty)
- Centre for Energy (cross Faculty)
Many of the research staff work in highly specialised fields and work with a smaller number of collaborators and form smaller research groups which are all highly productive in terms of publication output. These groups include:
- Advanced Synthetic Materials Group
- Environmental and Climate Change
- Environmental Biology and Biotechnology Group
- Environmental Geoscience
- Molecular Structure and Detection
- Nutrition, Food and Health
- Plant Science Group
- Reproductive Science Group
- Sustainable Use of Coasts and Catchments
- Tectonics and Earth Resources
Research Support
The staff are funded by ARC and NH&MRC grants as well as other specialised funding bodies. The Faculty provides research support for each of the research higher degree students on an annual basis and the University provides some levels of basic equipment and infrastructure support. The major research support asset is provided by the University of Newcastle Analytical and Biomolecular Research Facility which provides some of the very expensive large equipment required for modern research. These facilities include a high resolution ICP-MS, DNA sequencing, LC-MS, GC-MS, Electron Microscopy and animal house services.
The research and laboratory facilities are excellent and there are opportunities to develop multi-disciplinary skills and build research networks via the nature of the diverse fields of expertise within the disciplines. Field work is a major component of many of the research higher degree programs and many opportunities exist to develop these skills in areas of geology, geography, ecology and marine biology. Excellent GIS resources are available and the Faculty provides specialist vehicles for remote access to field sites.
